Magourna Reject was a racing greyhound during the 1950s. He won two classic races and was one of the leading greyhounds of the decade.

Early life

He was bred by John Murphy in

Coachford Coachford () is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is located on the north side of the River Lee. The village is located in the civil parish of Magourney. Coachford is part of the Dáil constituency of Cork North-West. Coachford owes its ...

and whelped during March 1950. He gained his racing name aged just 3 months after he was given to an Irish girl as an engagement present but when the engagement ended he was returmed to his breeder. He was then bought by Mrs Frances Chandler, the wife of William Chandler for £150.

Racing career

Magourna Reject was trained by Noreen Collin at

Walthamstow Stadium Walthamstow Stadium was a Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing track in the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London.BBC News - Walthamstow race track to close' It was regarded as the leading greyhound racing stadium ...

and was based at Collin's kennels in High Warren, Theydon Manor, in Epping. After winning the 1951

Trafalgar Cup The Trafalgar Cup was a greyhound racing competition for puppies under the age of two. It is the oldest puppy competition in the racing calendar. It was first contested at Wembley Stadium from 1929 until 1998, but when the Wembley Greyhounds e ...

, a major competition for puppies, he was described as the fastest ever puppy. He subsequently went into the 1952 English Greyhound Derby as the ante post favourite. However he disappointed and was eliminated during the first round and his great rival Endless Gossip went on to win the competition. Magourna Reject then reached the Welsh Greyhound Derby final but once again lost to Endless Gossip. He then stepped up in distance to the longer trip of 700 yards and became a crowd favourite with his running style and exceptional pace. However he ended the year without winning a classic race after failing to win both the

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...

and Cesarewitch when priced odds-on during both finals. In the early part of 1953, he came under the training of Tom "Paddy" Reilly because Collin had relinquished her post at the Walthamstow kennels and was replaced by Reilly. Despite a second failed attempt at the English greyhound Derby, Magourna Reject won the Key at

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, the Stewards' Cup at

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(setting a track record) and the Wood Lane Stakes at White City during 1953, but it was the two classic wins which sealed his place in an elite group of greyhounds. In the

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

on 14 September, 30,000 people watched the final, a race that was also seen by several million on television (the first televised classic race). His supporters were rewarded as he easily won by five lengths. He then defeated his rivals in the Cesarewitch final on 16 October, winning by three and a half lengths from the Oaks champion, Lizette, his time of 33.24 seconds being the fastest ever for the event at West Ham Stadium. He was voted Greyhound of the Year by a press panel on behalf of the British Greyhound Breeders and Owners Association.

Retirement

Magourna Reject was retired to stud, demanding 35

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

for a mating. He died in 1962.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom Racing greyhounds 1950 animal births 1962 animal deaths